


Mummy Alice

by merryghoul



Series: Suzanne Costello: Life is All [7]
Category: Luther (TV), Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Genre: F/F, Gunplay, Light BDSM, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-02
Updated: 2012-05-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 17:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice never wanted to be a 30 year old babysitter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mummy Alice

**Author's Note:**

> An expansion of some drabbles for [The Odd Family](http://missvmarigold.dreamwidth.org/86913.html).
> 
> Key: "Zoe Luther" is Alice (Zoe is John's deceased wife); "Suzie Cornell" is Suzie Costello.

**To:** John Luther [email redacted]  
****  
From: Zoe Luther [email redacted]  
****  
Subject: Suzie Cornell  
****

**[date redacted]**

 

I assume you're heard of Suzie's memoir that she's publishing soon. She was working on it as a way to gloat over bringing Sherlock Holmes back to London after she thought she was going to kill him. But she didn't, and now she's selling the book as a novel written by "Susan Harper." I'm sure you understand why. She was able to type up our adventures together in the memoir as well. You're DCI John Irons of the Whitechapel unit (you know, the one headed by DI Chandler). The book should be out in October.

I never got a chance to tell you how I ended up falling in love with Suzie in detail. You know about how we met—Ixtapa, the drugging, the bondage. I never told you in detail about the time I spent with Suzie as her babysitter. I want to do that now, before the memoir comes out and you find out the truth.  


The first time I met Emily Costello, it was in Ixtapa. Suzie brought her along—keeping her in London was a liability, even if Suzie gave Emily her mother's last name instead of Jim's. And if Emily was named Emily [Brook], Suzie would've really been arrested.  
  
Before I met Emily, Suzie told me about how her parents struggled to conceive her. She considers Emily a miracle in comparison to her difficult conception. After her birth, her father denied her his surname because she was a girl. He didn't want his name associated with Baby Would Have Been Mehta. Her mother's of Irish and Italian decent, which is why Suzie's last name is Costello. Nisha was a family friend of her father's; it's the only reason why she has an Indian middle name. She sobbed as she told me this. Her father's been dead since 2007 and he still hurts her to this day. He's part of the reason why her business is murder now, and she'll never forgive him. She could've had a normal life, maybe not even met Torchwood. Giving Emily her last name was something meaningful to Suzie, even if Emily decided to marry and lose Suzie's last name. It was enough to keep me from running to the airport and fleeing to…I'm not sure where I would've went if I could've fled Suzie, to be honest.

Emily had just turned two about two months when I met her. She was playing with a ball.

Emily," Suzie said, "this is Alice."

Emily cried. She hated me.

"She's going to be your new babysitter."

"No! Don't want!" 

"Did I tell you she's fully potty trained? Smart learner. Only took her a week."  
  
  
When we arrived back to London, Suzie would leave her hotel room and meet up with a Sebastian Moran, one of Jim's former lieutenants. After the fake Suzie Costello was arrested, it was now time for Suzie to concoct her next plan. The original plan involved Sebastian (who looks very much like Suzie) killing Sherlock Holmes, who arrived in the city again earlier this year. Sebastian would kill Sherlock, and if he failed, Suzie would kill Sherlock and spring Sebastian from prison to kill _him._

Things were coming to a head between the two of them. They originally met when Suzie was five months pregnant with Emily, and instead of killing him upfront, Suzie convinced Jim to add Sebastian to his team, even moving him in to his own room at the Westbury Mayfair (where they had a lot of their business meetings). Sebastian knew sooner or later Suzie was going to kill him. He just wanted her to get it over with.  
  
Suzie also moved me to the Westbury. Unlike Sebastian, I had a suite right beside Suzie's, and unlike Sebastian, I didn't have to pay for my suite. Suzie would send me breakfast in the morning. I'd have it, shower, and go to Suzie's room by 9 AM.

I'd stand in Suzie's doorway as she looked me up and down. She'd smile at me, giggle and touch her hair. She was infatuated with me.

"You ready to deal with the cub?"

"Yes, Suzie." I wasn't having it.

Suzie would leave. I'd play with Emily until it was naptime while Suzie was being miserable with Sebastian.  


Emily still distrusted me at that time. If I joined in with her playtime, she'd throw bricks and crayons at me. If I tried to put them up for her, she'd slap my hand and say "Mine." She'd scream and run around the apartment and I'd have to catch her. The only time we'd have peace is if I tuned into some of her favorite shows on telly, like _Yo Gabba Gabba._ (It's now become an in-joke between Suzie and me. It's personal, John.)  
  
One day of flirting and babysitting was enough. Nearly a month of babysitting and flirting was driving me mad. I did not go to Oxford, work as a fellow, kill a few people, end up in Bethlem and flee England to babysit someone's toddler in Westminster. I wanted to kill Suzie and leave Emily alone in that suite. Someone who works in the hotel could adopt her. I didn't care.

By this time I knew who Sebastian was. When Emily was asleep and Suzie was somewhere else in Westminster, I visited him. He lent me a handgun. "Kill her for the Basher," he told me. For a man who's been involved in the Special Forces, he was very nervous. Suzie plays mind games well.  
  
When she returned from wherever she was, I turned off all the lights in the flat. I hid beside the door. Suzie opened it. I walked behind her with the handgun.

Before I could cock the gun, Suzie said "I know you're behind me, Alice."

"You run a criminal syndicate and you didn't tell me."

"Well, not yet. I'm still getting it off the ground."

"You know I have the intelligence. You know I've killed before. Do you not trust me enough to work for you? I don't like being unappreciated!"

"Alice, I _do_ appreciate you."  
  
"Every day you go to meetings with that insufferable Moran, plotting to kill a man who isn't even in London. You don't even know if he's going to come back. Meanwhile, I'm taking care of your child like I'm some teenager from _The Baby-Sitters Club._ I'm 30 years old, Suzie. I told you my history. You know why I'm on the run. I could help you if you'd let me."  
  
"Alice, put down the gun."  
  
I cocked the gun. "No."  
  
"Unappreciated? I'll show you unappreciated."  
  
Suzie knocked the gun out of my hand. She kissed me. I didn't resist. I responded. She's a great kisser. We stopped briefly to put the gun back on safety. We didn't know if Emily would come out to see what was going on. She was asleep during the whole thing. Suzie took me to her bedroom, where we made out. It progressed further. Suzie's lovemaking reminded me of when I could experiment with girls at New College, but better. She says one of her co-workers taught her how to love women, and I guess this co-worker learned from Cambridge. (And Suzie's the only person at Torchwood that knew about this co-worker going to Cambridge.) Suzie shut me up and left me shaking and tired.  
  
The next morning I was kicked out of my room and advised to have breakfast near the hotel. I went to a Starbucks and picked up a coffee and scone.  When I returned to the hotel, I couldn't get in my room. I went to Suzie's suite. She told me I was moving in and I'd be her new lieutenant. Suzie introduced Emily to me. Emily started treating me nicer after that. Now she says I'm her mummy. I’ve never been a mum before, John, but the feeling's amazing. I can see why Suzie's proud of her daughter now. I know time's ticking on  
my own chances of being a mum, but I don't mind. One toddler privy to the secrets of two murders is enough. Two, and you might be in a _Dexter_ situation.  
  
Suzie and I returned the gun to Sebastian. The bloke thought Suzie was going to execute me when we visited him. Instead, Suzie announced his demotion and my promotion. We kissed in front of him. He screamed and shut the door. Poor Basher. He knew his time was slowly coming to an end. Shouldn't have tried to rob Suzie.  
  
Please do come by and visit when you have the chance. Emily's always running around, we can get tea sent up to the suite, and maybe Suzie's around getting the blood off _something._ Or at least come to my birthday party next year. Thirty-two is nothing to get excited about but we have the money for a lavish anything. Just let me know.  
  
Zoe Luther


End file.
